BrianLushRockwired2

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Okay, we're at it again! With the absence of ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE, we
here at ROCKWIRED.COM are filling that void by re-launching our podcast
series ROCK SHOW. Back in late-August, the show was launched as a
means of complimenting our monthly magazine by featuring music and
interview excerpts from the bands who have been featured on the
site and the magazine. With ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE on an indefinite hiatus
we felt it important to bring back ROCK SHOW as a weekly show featuring
all new music and interview excerpts with the bands and artists behind
the music. On the latest edition of ROCK SHOW, we feature music from
SILVERTUNG, RED VELVET CRUSH, MANHIGH, JANGLING SPARROWS and JACOB CADE.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

SEPTEMBER
14,
2017 -Finding the balance between new music
that is coming ROCKWIRED's way and stuff that is happening in
entertainment is a tricky thing, but with this latest issue of ROCK
SHOW, I feel like a balance has been achieved. So much has
happened in the previous week. I even had the chance to step out and
see a movie. No one is more surprised than me that the movie
that I stepped out to see was IT. I've never been big on STEPHEN KING.
I've always been more of a sci-fi person than a horror fan, but the
1990 ABC-TV mini-series STEPHEN KING's IT made an impression on me. In
this latest episode of ROCK SHOW, I discuss my thoughts on the film and
how it compares to the 1990 miniseries.

I
also caught the premiere of FOX's new dramedy series THE ORVILLE, SETH
MACFARLANE's tribute to STAR TREK. Coupled with that will be a
discussion on my anticipation for the upcoming CBS ALL ACCESS series
STAR TREK DISCOVERY. In the months since the the announcement of the
new STAR TREK series, it has inspired a swarm of hatred from fans if
comment sections on this or that website are to be believed.
Personally, I'm more excited for this show than I was back in 1987 when
STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION was about to get rolled out. I'm excited
to see a STAR TREK with action sequences and cinematic
special effects and dare-I-say "lense flare". Better than endless
debates on interstellar diplomacy and positronic mumbo jumbo.
And so what if the Klingons look different?

A
last minute subject brought up on the show was SINEAD O'CONNOR's
appearance on DR. PHIL. I personally think that DR. PHIL is worst find
that OPRAH has ever made and it's my hope, that the Irish
lass gets all of the help that she needs. Music can't afford to lose
another artist.

This
episode of ROCK SHOW also comes the closest to reaching the proposed
running time of 90 minutes. While the previous episode gave
us an idea of how we were going to continue. In this issue we start
implementing those changes.

TODAY'S PLAYLiST:

ELANTRiS
- ASCENSiON
ELANTRIS is one of the bands that will be featured on the cover of our
November 2017 issue which hasn't been released yet. That issue will be
our STAR WARS issue and the band's Wagnerian approach to metal, make
them a perfect fit for that issue. In this episode we spin the song
ASCENSION and you'll hear an interview clip with the band's
keyboard player MARK LIBER.ALARM FOR WAR - DAY TURNED TO NiGHT
On the same day that I got acquainted with ELANTRIS, I had the chance
to get to know JUGGY, the front man for the band ALARM FOR WAR. I
conducted my interview with him on September 11th and it dawned on me
that the 13-year old metal rapper, wasn't even alive when September
11th happened. It was quite the chasm but this young artist has a
delivery and a sense of purpose as a musician that is going to resonate
with people of all ages. RiCK SHAFFER - MODERN LiE
He's back. ROCKWIRED has been drawn to the fuzzy garage rock of RICK
SHAFFER who had first cut his teeth with the new wave rock band REDS
back in the eighties. For years now he has taken up the mantle of guitar
players like R.L. BURNSIDE and LINK WRAY. Now he is on the
verge of release his new album STOLEN MOMENTS and the first single
MODERN LIE has SHAFFER continuing in that same vein but this time with
a bit of a glam rock flourish. NiCK COYLE - NOTHiNG TO BE
AFRAiDOFNICK
COYLE is another one of those troubadours that doesn't know the meaning
of the word "stop". He got his start as the front man of LIFER, but
ROCKWIRED got to know him as the front man for STARDOG CHAMPION. That
band didn't last long but NICK COYLE has, and now he is releasing his
new album COLD and NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF has him brandishing a sleek
new sound that sacrifices none of the man's rock n roll edge. Vocally,
he brings back a memory or two of BOWIE on this track.CALL
OF ALL - WAR AND iLLUSiON
Five years ago. ROCKWIRED first became acquainted with HUNTER
WATSON when he was the lead singer for DAY'S DISTANCE. When that band
had folded, WATSON focused his energies on other endeavors such as
acting. He even secured himself a role on the AMC series WALKING DEAD.
Now, he has a new band called CALL OF ALL and WAR AND ILLUSION is our
first taste of their new album. MANHiGH
- LOVE LETTERS FROM SPACE
We at ROCKWIRED are often guilty of never looking at what is going on
in our own backyard. By backyard, I mean Albuquerque, New Mexico. A
couple of years back ROCKWIRED got to know the band THROW THE TEMPLE
and their front man GABRIEL GAMBINO. Now GAMBINO seeks to make an
impression with his new project MANHIGH and the single LETTERS FROM
SPACE sounds like it needs to be in a shuffle with QUEENS OF THE STONE
AGE and MARS VOLTA.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

We
are two shows into the run of our new podcast series ROCK SHOW and I
feel like we've found ourselves. I'd say "finally", but that implies
that it was a long, long search. As you make your way through this new
episode, you're going to hear something signature. You are going to
hear a stream of consciousness coming through the speakers salted and
peppered with some hard rocking tunes from the likes of BOBAFLEX,
ZEROKING, MILITIA VOX, EDGE OF PARADISE and others. In the same way
that ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE is taking on more challenging story ideas
outside of music, our new podcast is going to be a reflection of the
times that we're living in and and provide a humorous look at what is
going on in the world and withing the walls of ROCKWIRED MEDIA. In this
episode alone we discuss the stories that we're working on for the
upcoming October issue which include a 40th anniversary retrospective
of the documentary classic PUMPING IRON, which made ARNOLD
SCHWARZENEGGER an icon, re-defined masculinity and made the sport of
Bodybuilding not seem so fringe-y. We will also be discussing a story
that we're working on for the upcoming issue on the MEN'S RIGHTS
MOVEMENT and the women who have taken center stage. In this show you
will hear interview excerpts with the movements two leading women
KAREN STRAUGHAN and JANICE FIAMENGO. Outside of the goings on with
ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE, the show will touch on what has been happening
in the news lately, particularly with BURNING MAN and the story of JOEL
OSTEEN closing the doors of his megachurch to people suffering from the
flooding in Houston.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

AUGUST
28,
2017 - Well
kiddies, here you have it! This is the very
first edition of our
brand new weekly show ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE'S ROCK SHOW. We admit it's not
the most inspired title but it gives you an idea of what to
expect
with this new weekly program. This latest endeavor by ROCKWIRED
MAGAZINE is not much of a new endeavor. It's more of a rebranding of
our previous podcast series ROCKWIRED RADIO PROFILES. We feel a title
like . Since 2010,
ROCKWIRED RADIO PROFILES lasted for over 700 editions and featured
music and interviews with various active rock artists such
as WAYLAND,
BOBAFLEX, ADELITA'S WAY, EDGE OF PARADISE, ANOTHER LOST YEAR, SAINT
MOTEL, SHALLOW SIDE, BONZ, ADLER, STAR OFF MACHINE, ZEROKING, A.D.D.,
EMPERORS AND ELEPHANTS, STATION, ELISIUM, RED TIDE RISING, SILVERTUNG,
MAXXXWELL CARLISLE, CITY OF THE WEAK, VAJRA, ELISIUM, MILITIA VOX
and
DIAMOND LANE. Now, ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE has decided to scale back with a
weekly podcast that still delivers on the music and exclusive
interviews but also seeks to entertain it's audience. Isn't rock n roll
all about keeping folks entertained?

ROCKWIRED
MAGAZINE'S ROCK SHOW is going to be a work in progress. Of course it
will be a show about spinning new music from today's leading active
rock artists but ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE's Editor-In-Chief BRIAN LUSH
promises that
there will be some surprises along the way. "Just as we are getting
more adventurous with our content in our monthly magazine, we want this
new weekly show to be just as exciting." says LUSH. "Given the doubts
about rock n roll's prospects these days, we feel it is our duty to
make a rock music show that is all about fun and agenda-free. The only
agenda here is rock n roll."

The
new podcast series will be available every Tuesday exclusively at
ROCKWIRED.COM and iTUNES.

WAYLAND
- THROUGH THE FiRE
A
ROCKWIRED favorite has returned with a brand new single and this time
it is preceding the release of a brand new album titled RINSE AND
REPEAT. For the past five years, WAYLAND have toured the United States
many times over and have put out stand alone singles, but now the band
has turned their attention to a long form release - their
first
since their debut EP WELCOME TO MY HEAD. THROUGH THE FIRE delivers all
of the bombast that we've come to expect form these road dogs and has
us excited to hear more form their upcoming album. UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE - THE GREY
Being
an American Indian-owned publication, we find it important to highlight
new music that is coming out of Indian Country and one such band is
UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE, a metal band hailing from the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation. We happened to catch their electrifying live
set at the ALBUQUERQUE CENTER FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE. Not the most
rocking venue in the world, but these guys made the space feel like the
VIPER ROOM with their hard hitting set. They've managed to take their
show on the road beyond the confines of South Dakota and have rocked
audiences throughout the American Southwest. DiSTRiCT AVENUE - REViVAL
Hailing
from Ontario, DISTRICT AVENUE is a band that has seen some changes in
line up but also a change in name and perspective. Formerly known as
KICKIN' KROTCH, the band, led by singer MIKE BERNARD, made an
impression with their gritty hard rock sound. Now that sound has
undergone some refinement thanks to producer VIC BRANCO. It can be
heard
loud and clear on the band's latest album EPOCH, where the lead single
REVIVAL stands out proudly thanks apart to their INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARD
winning video. HEATHER GiLLiS - 100 MPH
Twenty-year-olds
get a bad rap these days but when you've got a twenty-year-old who
boasts a gritty, blues, southern rock sound as HEATHER GILLIS does, we
feel it's only fair to give them all of the props that they deserve.
Her handiwork on the guitar and lap steel and as a singer was all hard
won. This young woman cut her teeth on the road and on the stage with
the late BUTCH TRUCKS as a member of his band THE FREIGHT
TRAIN.
Now with her days of BUTCH TRUCKS' tutelage bhehind her she stands
poised to make a name for herself as an artist on her own rockin' terms.SiGNALS OF BEDLAM - MASS
APPEAL
A
New York City-based band boasting on edgy prog rock sound. It's the
musicianship that has won us over here at ROCKWIRED MAGAZINE nand their
newest album ESCAPING VELOCITY and it's single MASS APPEAL deserve a
special kind of recognition. Definitely one of our favorite releases of
2017.KiLLSET - JUMP
On
the heals of an EP and debut album, the band KILLSET is really hitting
it hard with their new release STFU. The album boasts the very hard
rock that like to give it up for but there are also some hip
hop
flourishes. Don't believe us? Just check out their take on the 1992
KRIS KROSS hit JUMP. The video is a fucking hoot. KiTTENHEAD - TUESDAY
It's
been a while since we've given it up for punchy, punk rock band and
KITTEN HEAD delivers. Not only for their raw rocking songcraft but for
their intense live set that lets the audience in on the music.
Shouldn't a rock music be this way. ANDREW W. BOSS - iNViNCiBLE
When
a guy says that it was attending a DEFTONES show that set him on his
way to music making, I guess we better listen to him. ANDREW W. BOSS
proves that he's a "boss" in every sense of the work with his brand new
album INVINCIBLE. That man's rap and metal sensibilities proudly shine
through. LiViNG COLOUR - COME ON
Seven
years was way too long to wait for a new release from these guys.
LIVING COLOUR proved that their music and artistry were all intact with
their 2010 album CHAIR IN THE DOORWAY and now they' prove that the
influence of the blues still has a place in the world on
their
forthcoming album SHADE. Don't think for a minute that these guys have
turned the volume down here. Their interpretation of the blues is as
loud and rockin' as anything that we've come to expect from these
legends. LULLWATER - RELEASE
Hailing
from Georgia, LULLWATER is a band that has taken it's musical queues
from the music that was coming out of Seattle during the late eighties
and early nineties. It should be no surprise that their new EP is a
live album recorded in the same studio that PEARL JAM recorded out of.
It's also less of surprise that the band has re-recorded PEARL JAM's
RELEASE using original PEARL JAM drummer DAVE KRUSEN.OWL COMPANY - CELEBRATE AND
KNEEL
Thanks to the band's victory in ROCKWIRED's ARTIST OF THE MONTH
contest, we've been introduced to folks in South American. These Sao
Paulo-based rockers are on the verge of making their presence known in
the States with what promises to be an electrifying tour and a raw,
uncompromising debut album HORIZON.REMADA - A BETTER TOMORROW
The Chicago-based rock band has been through an insane amount of
changes form being a solo hip-hop artist to an full on rock band. Their
newest album seals the band's fate as an electrifying hard rock act
destined for greatness and the kind of positive message that will
elevate their material above the standard rock fare.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

When we spoke with MARISSA LAMAR of HIGHLAND KITES, we asked her what she wanted people to come away with after they had heard the music on her band's latest release I'M NOT WEAK. To paraphrase her response, one of the points that she brought up was that she didn't want people to be brought down by her music, given the heavy themes that are on display within this mesmerizing EP. Given the execution of these songs, which recalls the haunting production and songcraft of works by DANIEL LANOIS and BRIAN ENO, it is hard for us to see the music reducing a listener to sobbing mess. We hear music that uplifts, and because of that I'M NOT WEAK is nothing short of a miracle. Music is more that just something to do for LAMAR. It was a means of survival. Music got her through the years she struggled against Lyme Disease and the struggle turned her into a songwriter with a confessional quality that is unparalleled. Damned if we can find a anything like HIGHLAND KITES in the current indie set, and that's a good thing. It makes the reward of discovering an EP like I'M NOT WEAK all the more sweeter.

Let's face it. Indie music has come to mean music that is acoustic based and conveys a sense of longing and introspection. The term almost has nothing to do with the fact that the music is coming form a band that isn't signed to a major label. The subtlety of this sound is even used to push goods and services such as PANERA BREAD, SABRA and UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX. Yes, "indie music" has gone the way of "alternative rock" in terms of not meaning anything anymore, so when a duo like THE SHRIMPS is described as such, it does the duo and their music a massive disservice. This isn't introspective music. It's extroverted music! THE SHRIMPS are comprised of the brothers BENAJAMIN, and their musicality is proudly displayed on their new EP ABSTRACTS AND KEYWORDS. MARCUS and SIMON BENJAMIN take their queue from that other English songwriting partnership of LENNON and McCARTNEY and deliver songs that run deliver on melody, hook and that punchy lyric that proves to be elusive amongst the greater "indie rock" crowd. If you were ot hear these blokes in coffee shop. you'd put to your i-phone, stop your conversation with so and so and really give these guys a listen, and in the era of social media, that is really fucking doing something.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

The recent passing of SOUNDGARDEN's CHRIS CORNELL has been a blow to the music industry and has left many asking 'why'? Unfortunately the phenomenon of charismatic front men from the Seattle area passing before their time is due has cast an eerie pall over a city famed for bringing back rock n roll's uncompromising edge. From the opposite end of the country (Atlanta, Georgia to be exact) is the band LULLWATER who have taken tremendous inspiration from the sounds of Seattle. Hell, the band even relocated to the Pacific Northwest and one can hear that inspiration on the band's previous efforts SILHOUETTE and REVIVAL. If their back catalog hasn't convinced you, than their forthcoming release SEATTLE SESSIONS will. Their embrace of the Seattle sound is worn proudly on the band's sleeve in this live recording where the band's cover of the PEARL JAM classic RELEASE. You can call this forthcoming EP a grunge tribute but LULLWATER manages to keep these solid performances raw and unflinching, on their own terms.

About Me

ROCKWIRED.COM was launched on New Years Eve of 2004 as a means of promoting the weekly internet radio show ROCKWIRED LIVE (which LUSH produced and hosted from January 2005 to April 2009). As a means of attracting listeners, LUSH turned the website into a forum where artists could discuss their life and work. This forum became known as the ROCKWIRED ON-LINE EXCLUSIVE and after being billed as such, LUSH noticed something curious. “The number of people who came to ROCKWIRED.COM for the printed interviews was exponentially larger than the number of people that tuned in for the weekly broadcast.” says LUSH. “The website was launched as a satellite for the radio show and eventually the show became the satellite for the website. I never saw that coming.”